Pandora

JOURNALISTS AT The Express are buzzing with news of yet another new editor. This time the person being considered is someone with no formal journalistic experience, and he is expected to have the shortest editorship in The Express's history. Who could it be? None other than the boss of Virgin Radio, Mr Christopher Evans (pictured). For about four months, Express editor Rosie Boycott - who did a stint as guest editor of Campaign - has been trying to woo the breakfast presenter to edit one issue of the paper. Earlier this week, The Mirror's editor, Piers Morgan, agreed to swap jobs with Mandi Norwood, editor of Cosmopolitan. Does this mean we'll see Rosie Boycott appearing in Freak or Unique? on TFI Friday?

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SPEAKING OF Cosmopolitan, the celebrated bible of orgasm, the American division is planning to launch a junior edition. Hearst Magazines, the US publisher, recently confirmed that it has "been looking into the American teen market for some time". But how about the UK? Don't our teens need to be enlightened, too? Pandora tracked down a spokeswoman for Cosmopolitan in London who told her: "We haven't made any announcements about that at all." Funnily enough, those exact words were then used when Pandora double-checked with Hearst in New York. Ten out of ten for co-ordination. Does this mean we can expect a joint launch?

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THE CURSE of Mandelson would seem to have struck in Germany. Bodo Hombach, Minister without Portfolio and election strategist to Gerhard Schroder, has often been described as Mandelson's doppelganger.

Sadly for Hombach, a case of the "Notting Hillgates" struck this week, with allegations that Hombach had used money from a company slush fund to buy his home. Hombach denies any impropriety over his house, bought 13 years ago. However, senior politicians are calling for his resignation.

Pandora contacted Peter Mandelson to see whether he could offer any advice for his German colleague, but was told that he would be unlikely to make any comment on the matter: "He is trying to keep a low profile at the moment" came the honest reply from

Mandy's office.

THE TRADITIONAL sabbath dinner is usually an occasion when Jewish families get together and tuck into chicken soup and chopped liver. Last Friday night was no exception. Pandora was pleased to see 150 of the most influential people in the Jewish community - including Natan Sharansky, Israel's minister of Trade and Industry, Robert Rubin, the US Secretary of the Treasury, and Zalman Shoval, the ambassador of Israel to the United States - enjoying a traditional kosher meal at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The dinner included Pandora's favourite, gefilte fish. It was probably the most powerful sabbath dinner of the year. Unfortunately, Jackie Mason was not invited to be a guest speaker.

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NOT EVERY Old Labour MP has an aversion to the Liberal Democrats. Despite the stance of a lack of interest taken by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, the icon of traditional Labour values, the Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell has got so close to the Lib Dems that he is even taking photos of them. Pandora spotted the veteran MP at last week's Lib Dem parliamentary party meeting snapping away merrily for his forthcoming book, Parliament in Pictures. Mitchell's presence was a source of great amusement but he found that his hosts made him more than welcome: "I sat through the first two items of the meeting and left before the more sensitive ones," he told Pandora, adding, "they were very friendly and co-operative." Hasn't Tony been trying to say this all along?

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A MUSICAL of Zippergate is due to start in Hollywood in a fortnight. Starr Struck will take a "witty, raunchy, intelligent, hilarious and surprisingly emotional look" at the scandal. Of course, it was only a matter of time before such a production got under way. There is no shortage of musical material about President Clinton's liaison, with amusing song parodies that have been doing the rounds, such as "I let an intern go down on me" sung to the tune of Elton John's "Don't let the sun go down on me" and "Our love is here to stain", an adaptation of the Gershwin classic.

You can contact Pandora by e-mail: pandora@ independent.co.uk